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Chapter 14 - Mud's Dirty Tale (TCOK)
“You seem distressed,” the cool voice split the night air, causing Tubba to snap open his eyes from where he had thrown himself onto the railing of the ship. Pivoting on his heel, Tubba rued the lack of a club. Karubba’s club had been taken from him upon his landing at the SS Mahruav, with the crew members telling him that all weapons were confiscated by Gerald and Eran, and would not be returned. Tubba found himself staring into the unmistakable long eyes of Mud the Bandit. He knew his eyes had reddened due to the quiet tears he had shed, and he knew that he wasn’t in the most coherent of states. Still, he had no qualms in showing his unstable aggression: he curled up his fists, shaking with the whirlpool of emotions still wracking his body. “That was private,” he hissed, staring right into Mud’s calm eyes. “You had no right to follow me here.” Tubba braced his muscles, not sure where to route his anger at Mud’s eavesdropping. “You had no right to quietly observe me.” He hissed, trying to convey as much disdain and anger as possible. Mud rose a careful left hand, his body language measured and his face serene. “I understand that you feel I invaded your privacy,” the Bandit began, speaking slow, suggesting to Tubba that he was choosing his words judiciously, “but I saw you leaving the dormitory, and I figured it would be best if I knew where you were going.” “Do you typically shove your nose into the affairs of other people?” Tubba snarled, his anger surging back into him. That explanation was far from satisfactory, and suggested nothing more than a motivation of nosiness and an intention to invade his privacy. “I have nothing to say to you people, I feel no prerogative to tell you anything,” his voice came out splintered, like he was choking over sticks and twigs. Tubba silently cursed the show of weakness, his fist clenching to vent his emotions. “Unfortunately, my nose is quite puny,” Mud laughed, pointing at his mask. Bandits in general were a meek species, and not unlike their related species Shy Guys and Snifits, rarely take off their masks. But while Snifits had a trunk that served as both the nose and mouth, very few people knew what a Bandit’s nose looked like. “I am a Bandit, after all,” Mud chuckled, and despite himself, Tubba couldn’t help but crack a smile at the self-derogatory humour. “I don’t mean to invade your privacy, I know you don’t have to tell me anything,” Tubba could sense Mud leaping on his opportunity, and Tubba was feeling more and more willing to give the Bandit a chance. “But I would like to tell you something.” “Huh?” Tubba was surprised, and knew that his face showed it, with his widening eyes and puzzled expression. His expectation had been that Mud would slowly weasel his way into getting Tubba to tell him what he wanted to know, not Mud telling Tubba something. “Uh...” Tubba hesitated for a moment, unsure what he was getting into. “Yeah, sure,” Tubba gave his assent, once again deciding to give the Bandit a chance, “what do you have to say?” The blue robed Bandit sat down on the deck, crossing his legs as he made himself comfortable. “You’d better sit down, it’s a long tale.” Tubba sighed, slowly lowering himself onto the floor, before glancing at Mud, waiting for him to speak. Without preamble, Mud began to speak, “you have probably wondered about my name,” Tubba nodded, he had wondered about the name Mud, because surely, it could not be a given name? “Mud is my name, Tubba.” The owner of the name placed a hand on his heart, “it’s nothing that I have given myself, to make myself sound cooler, or more intimidating. My parents named me Mud.” What? But that’s... why would they do that? T''ubba began to try and voice his questions, but Mud raised his left hand once again. “Let me talk, and I’m sure your questions will be explained.” Mud heaved a sigh, his voice growing soft, “excuse me if I do get a tad emotional,” Mud mumbled, before redoubling his efforts. “My parents were not equipped to have children. Myself and Stual were born about a year apart, Stual named as a passing thought, and my name chosen to symbolize the impurity of our existence.” His voice shook, the topic clearly difficult for him. “Life was tough. Eventually, Zual was born, and our parents showed less and less interest in us, indulging their own bad habits.” Tubba listened with a heavy heart to Mud’s tale of woe, his heart pounding with the realization of how difficult growing up like that would have been, a situation that he could never imagine, growing up in the loving light of his own father. “Then, one day, when I was about fifteen or so, they just didn’t come home.” As Mud continued, his voice dulled, as if he was confused as to what he was feeling. “I was left in charge of my siblings, and with no formal education, I was forced to tap into the innate Bandit consciousness, and steal to support the two of them.” “I hated it, Tubba,” Mud crossed his arms, his long eyes staring straight into Tubba’s own. “But it was necessary, there was nothing else I could do.” Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I began to relish my role of supporting my siblings, of being more of a parent and a role model than our parents had ever been. However, I ran into trouble with the Rogueport police, and that was when Gerald stepped in.” Pausing, Mud glanced around the steadily brightening deck, making sure they were alone. “This whole ship is full of fugitives, desperate people trying to get by. It’s the most peace I’ve had in my life.” “Tubba, the point is, it doesn’t matter what people think of you,” said Mud, his tone light and genuine, but also stronger. “It doesn’t matter if those people are the ones you’ve been trying to impress your whole life, if they’re your parents who regard you as nothing more than a dirt that they created.” Mud pointed at his heart once again, “I bear my name proudly, Tubba. I will not shy away from who I am, from the situations that made me, from the people that reject me.” Slamming his hands against the deck of the ship, Mud’s voice growing firm, “what ''matters is how you see yourself.” Mud rose to his feet, slamming a hand against his chest with a thump. “I see myself as a Bandit who will do anything for his siblings, for the people he cares about. I see myself as a leader who is willing to make sacrifices for those who care about me. It does not matter that I was called Mud by my own parents.” Turning to Tubba, Mud pointed straight at Tubba’s chest, “and what you are, what I see you as, is someone who has endless potential, who can keep fighting through whatever it is that is distressing you, and can rise above your troubles.” Mud turned away again, staring at the steadily rising sun. “But it doesn’t matter what I think.” “What do you think of yourself?”